High school boys basketball: Jacobs, Marengo prepare for Wednesday's sectional semifinals

Jacobs was able to take something from last year’s Class 4A Rock Valley Sectional boys basketball tournament other than the disappointment of a 58-39 loss to Rockford Auburn.

The Golden Eagles played Auburn tough for one half, but wilted under the Knights’ terrific full-court pressure in the second.

Still, Jacobs knew that experience should only help in the future, and that its chances of getting back to a sectional this season would be excellent.

The Eagles (28-1) get their shot with Hononegah (23-7) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Elgin Sectional at Chesbrough Field House.

In the Class 3A Genoa-Kingston Sectional, Marengo (23-7) will meet Glenbard South (14-14) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Marengo advanced to a sectional championship game two years ago, when it lost to Rockford Lutheran.

The biggest reason Jacobs had a chance to return is 6-foot-9 center Cameron Krutwig, the NCAA Division I Loyola signee who is playing on his third regional champion. Krutwig has had plenty of help from a group that returned two other starters and two top reserves from last season.

“We want to be the best team in Jacobs’ history,” Krutwig said. “We said it at the beginning of the year, and now we have a chance to be great. I’ve been to Elgin once before in the postseason (as a freshman) and lost.”

Krutwig’s presence inside with scoring, rebounding and defending ignites everything for the Eagles, who have won 13 consecutive games. But they have several other players capable of scoring and consider defense the staple of their game.

“We have a lot of returning guys,” guard Cooper Schwartz said after Friday’s 55-39 win over St. Charles North for the Jacobs Regional title. “We know we have to prepare for the next game the way we prepared for this one. We did a really good job. We just have to keep it up.”

Jacobs set the school record for wins in Friday’s game. Now, the Eagles crave bringing home their school’s first boys basketball sectional championship.

“Our goal is to be the best team ever at Jacobs,” point guard Nik Balkcom said. “We can do a lot. We’re going to come out and be prepared again, and keep going with this momentum.”

Eagles coach Jimmy Roberts said he thinks the exposure to the sectional atmosphere last year will be beneficial. Auburn won two more games after beating Jacobs and finished fourth in the Class 4A.

“We have a little more confidence,” Roberts said. “They wanted it pretty bad last year. Do they want it bad now? Yeah.”

Balkcom has been strong running the offense and defending. Schwartz, Ryan Phillips and Mason Materna all are threats from behind the 3-point arc if defenses pay too much attention to Krutwig.

“We have Cam again, a bunch of seniors on the team last year, and me and Ryan,” Balkcom said. “It will really help us. Those nerves we had last year won’t be there as much this year. It’s going to be good.”

Marengo guard Mike Volkening, who averages 25.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game, played an integral role two years ago when the Indians lost to Lutheran, 69-58, in the Rochelle Sectional championship. The Indians graduated their career scoring leader Zach Knobloch, among others, but have done well with Volkening, who is equally effective shooting from deep or driving, as the main scorer.

“This is a group that wasn’t really expected to be where we’re at and the season has come along to a lot of people’s surprise,” Marengo coach Nate Wright said.

Altough Glenbard South’s .500 record hardly sparkles, the Raiders’ 69-59 overtime victory over Burlington Central on Friday at the Marmion Regional championship certainly did. Burlington was 26-3 and defeated Marengo, 63-43, on Feb. 15.

“They’re a .500 team, but they play in a tough (Metro Suburban) conference,” Wright said. “They just beat our (Kishwaukee River) conference champion. You’re not a slouch if you can beat a 26-3 team.”

The Raiders rely a lot on 6-5 Charlie Bair, who Wright said is an athletic player who also can hit 3s. Wright said he thinks some regional upsets makes the sectional less predictable.

“Everybody was looking at Rochelle and Burlington (both of whom lost),” Wright said. “You’re going to see some good basketball over there with the idea that everybody knows it’s kind of wide open. Any one of the four teams can come out and win it.”